Belgian gunman Nordine Amrani killed a 45-year old woman before carrying out
his grenade and assault rifle attack that killed four people in Liege,
including a 17-month old baby boy.

The woman worked as a cleaner for a an unnamed neighbour of Amrani, who is said in the morning asked her into his home on the pretext of offering her work and then attacked her.

It has also been confirmed that Amrani committed suicide after the attacks by shooting himself in the head with his revolver.

"A search last night revealed in a warehouse used by the attacker, notably to grow cannabis, the body of a woman killed by the attacker before he went to the Place Saint Lambert," said Prosecutor Cedric Visart de Bocarme.

Before carrying out the attack, Amrani then transferred cash to his wife's account with the words "I love you my love. Good luck."

His wife is a woman called Perrin Balon, who is believed to be a care worker in Liege and who paid the bills on the warehouse where the body was found.

Police searched the warehouse, discovering a store of heavy weaponry. The incident has led to a heated a debate in the country about gun laws and why he was considered safe to release, having been sentenced in 2008 to 58 months in prison for illegal possession of ten firearms.

"It was a cleaning lady. This is how she met him yesterday (Tuesday) morning. She died, shot with a bullet in the head," said Liege prosecutor Daniele Reynders.

Mr Reynders said that in November Amrani was reported for "immoral acts" - thought to be a sexual assault accusation.

"He was identified and we were interested in him through a number plate found at the scene (of the the alleged sexual assault) and that is why he was summoned. And he may have feared being sent back to prison because of non-compliance with the conditions of his early release."

A 17-month-old baby boy became the fourth victim after dying in hospital despite undergoing hours of emergency treatment.

Gabriel was in the arms of his mother when he was hit by a bullet in the back of the head. The child and his parents were at the bus stop just below the walkway where the shooter opened fire.

Amrani had been due to attend a police interview in the late morning but never showed up. Instead he left his apartment armed with a Belgian-made FAL automatic rifle, a handgun and up to a dozen grenades carried in a backpack.

He drove the five-minute journey from his 1930s apartment building Residence Belvedere and parked his white van in Place St Lambert near the popular Le Point Chaud bakery.

He walked steadily onto the bakery's flat roof and from his 15ft high vantage point lobbed three hand grenades towards a busy bus shelter before opening fire on the crowd.

The attack sent terrified people running for their lives, and several hours later many still sat weeping on pavements amid the screech of ambulance sirens and the din of helicopters overhead. More than 50 people were treated on the scene by dozens of paramedics that raced to the scene.

A magistrate at the courthouse that faces the square, who asked not to be named, described how he came face to face with the killer.

"I saw him standing 20 metres away. He looked at me, I looked at him.

I pulled a few steps back, to get out of his sight and to get my phone out. But then there was an explosion. I took cover and I saw him throwing grenades. Then he fired an automatic weapon." Nicolas Gilenne, a journalist who had just left the courthouse when the attack started, said: "I saw a man wave his arm and throw something at the bus shelter. I heard an explosion. He turned around, picked something else up, pulled the pin. I started to run. He was alone and seemed very much in control.

"He wanted to hurt as many people as possible. I heard four explosions and shots during about 10 seconds." A police officer said: "When I arrived the scene was horrible dozens of wounded, their bodies smashed. I have never seen anything like it." Samuel, 24, who did not want to be give his surname because he was working illegally as causal worker at the Christmas fair, said the attacker was wearing a long raincoat.

"After the first explosion I was swept away in a wave of people running from the Christmas village. They were screaming, it was horrible," he recalled.

In 2008 Amrani was sentenced to 58 months in prison for illegal possession of ten firearms, 9,500 "gun parts" and 2,800 cannabis plants but was granted parole last year. He also had convictions for pimping and trafficking stolen goods.

A weapons aficionado, he was said to be able to dismantle, repair and put together all sorts of weapons but was never linked to any terrorist act or network. "It was a lone gunman," said Benoit Ramacker, centre for the Federal Crisis Centre, referring to reports in the initial confusion that there had been three or four assailants.

"It's very difficult to determine the reasons for the attack, but we're investigating all avenues." Official sources said police had recently raided Amrani's home in Liege seeking cannabis plants but had found firearms instead.

Speaking from her apartment door, Madame Luyx an elderly neighbour, who lived opposite his apartment, said: "We knew he had been to prison. I was worried so I always kept my door locked."

Natasha Kos-Princen, another neighbour, on the floor below, was in a Quick hamburger cafe near the square where attacks took place. "I got home and then the police turned up and said 'you that guy who killed all the people? Well he lives here'. I was really shocked I didn't know him personally."

As darkness fell, King Albert II and Queen Paola arrived to console the city. The prime minister and home affairs minister also visited.